Table chime



Unite TABLE CHIME Samuel Fialkofi, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to Camin Laboratories, Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York My present invention relates to a signaling device or chimeadapted to sound a musical note, or combination of notes, when operated.

In order to give 011 a musical note in an audible range pleasant to the ear, a chime must have a resonant member of considerable bulk adapted to vibrate as a body. Such resonant members have heretofore been designed in the form of elongated tubes (cg. of brass) freely suspended in the vicinity of an electromagnetically actuated striker; systems of this type occupy considerable space and have, therefore, been limited in their use to stationary fixtures such as door signals.

My invention has for its general object the provision of a chime adapted to be used as a portable signaling device.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide a device of the character referred to which is of small bulk and has an attractive appearance when placed on a table or in some other conspicuous position.

The principal feature of my invention resides in the provision of a metallic hell, or preferably of a plurality of such bells nested together, swingably mounted on a resilient, elongated support capable of being set in vibratory motion by a suitable actuator such as one or more electromagnets. A stationary striker is positioned adjacent each bell to produce a characteristic note when the system is caused to vibrate at a suitable amplitude.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a partly diagrammatical view of a system according to the invention, including a pair of swingable bells shown in axial cross section; and

Figs. 241-211 show four ditferent positions of a control element forming part of the system of Fig. l.

The device shown in Fig. 1 comprises the chime proper, generally designated 10, and a control box 20 therefor which is connected to it by wires 30,31, 32, 33; box 20 may be located in the immediate vicinity of chime 10 or at some remote location.

Chime 10 comprises an outer, larger bell 11 and an inner, smaller bell 12, the two bells being interconnected by a threaded stem 13 secured to the upper end of a reed 14 rising from a base 40. Stem 13 is surrounded by a sleeve 15 serving as a spacer for bells 11 and 12, the assembly being completed by a nut 16 engaging stem 13.

Three electromagnets 41, 42 and 43 are supported on the base 40 within the enclosure formed by bells 11 and 12. Magnets 41 and 42 are respectively mounted on two posts 44 and 45 extending upwardly from base 49; magnet 43 rests directly on this base. -Post 44 has secured to it a striker 46 positioned to engage, from within, a peripheral portion of inner bell 12; a second striker 47, here shown to be mounted directly on base 40, is similarly positioned with respect to outer bell 11.

Reed 14 carries two armatures 17, 18 facing the soft- States Patent "ice 2,925,593 7 Patented Feb. 16, 1560 iron cores of electromagnets 41 and 42 respectively..

The control box 20 forms a bearing 21 for a rod 22 which terminates in a pushbutton 23 adapted to be de: pressed against the force of a restoring spring 24. As shown in Figs. 2a-2d, the lower extremity .of rod .22 is provided with cams 22', 22" adapted to co-act, at suc-. cessive stages of its downward movement, with two con-: tacts 34, 35 respectively connected to wires 31 and 32-.-'

A third contact 36, connected to wire 33, is engageable by the tip of rod 22 at the end of its stroke. Rod 22 itself is connected to return wire 30 in series with an electric power source 25 (Fig. 2a) which has been schematically illustrated as a battery and which may be a dry cell or some other current source located inside the control box 20.

The operation of the device shown in the drawing will now be described.

In the unoperated position of pushbutton 23, as shown in Fig. 2a, rod 22 is spaced from all three contacts 34, 35, 36 and none of the magnets 41, 42, 43 is energized. Reed 14 is in its upright position midway between magnets 41, 42 and the bell 12 is engaged by the damper 49.

When the pushbutton 23 is now depressed, it first causes the rod 22 to engage the contact 43 to energize magnet 41 in a circuit including battery 25 and wires 30, 31. The magnet operates and attracts the reed 14 which flexes in its upper part as the leftward movement of the bells 11 and 12 is impeded by the damper 49. Next, as seen in Fig. 2c, rod 22 engages contact 35 and, shortly thereafter, disengages contact 34 while beginning to bear upon contact 36; this energizes the magnet 42, in a circuit including battery 25 and wires 30, 32, shortly after the deactivation of magnet 41 and before the energization of magnet 43 in a circuit which includes battery 25 and wires 30, 33. Thus, reed 14 with its bells 11 and 12 is caused to swing sharply to the right, this movement being facilitated by the substantially simultaneous inactivation of damper 49. Finally, as illustrated in Fig. 2d, magnet 42 is also de-energized as the rod 22 leaves contact 35 and remains in engagement only with contact 36.

It will be apparent that the chime 10 will now give off alternate notes of different pitch, produced by the alternate impingement of bells 11, 12 upon strikers 47, 46, and that this action will continue until the free oscillations of unit 11-18 have abated or until the pushbutton 23 is released to de-energize magnet 43, thereby reactivating the damper 49. Thus the duration of the signal may be controlled, at least to a certain extent, by the length of time during which the button 23 is held depressed.

It will be understood that the two strikers 46, 47 may also be provided in the case of a single bell, in order to produce two notes during each oscillatory cycle, and that the magnetic actuating system and other features shown in the drawing and described hereinabove may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A signaling device comprising a bell, a resilient elongated stem supporting said bell, actuator means for imparting vibratory motion to said support, and stationary striker means positioned to engage said bell in the course of said vibratory motion, said actuator means 3a A. signaling device comprisingc'a bellga resilient. sup 7 port for said bell, actuator means for imparting vibratory motion tin-said support; stationary'sn'iker' means 190 sitionedto: engagevsaid bellin' the course of said vibratorymotion, damping means for said bell, and control means. for operatingsaid actuator means and. substantially simultancon'sly' inacrivaiing said damping means 4. Adeviee. according to claim; 3.= wherein; said actuas tor means compnises. a plurality of electromagnets so:-

quentiallyv energizable by said. control means, one" of said electroni'agnets bein'g'adaptedvwhen energized to in.- ac'ti-vate said damping means.

5'. A signaling device comprising a plurality of nested bells; a common resilient, elongated stem supponingsaid bells, actuator. means for, setting said support, in. vibra: tory motion, and stationary striker means positioned for engagement with said bells in the course of said vibratory motion, said stem rising along the common axis of said bells.

6. A device accordingioiclaim, 5 wherein said striker means comprises a first and a second striker positioned on opposite sides offsaid; reed for engagement with a respective bell,

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 779,533 Dean Jan. 10, 1905 1,131,824 Clineet al'. Mar. 16, 1915 1,186,122 Norgate June 6, 1916 2,220,979 Swanson Nov. 12, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 176,495 Switzerland Apr. 15, 1935. 

